Fitness has been associated with improving mental health. Some gyms leaned heavily on this when they were forced to close during lockdowns a few years ago.

While I am a fan of fitness helping with some mental health issues (and it's certainly helped me), increasing endorphins and being a part of a community, I feel that just telling someone to go to the gym is not going to solve the root of the problem or even the first step.

It can't be a one-size-fits-all approach.

When gyms were under lockdown in 2020, some gym owners argued that they should be open because of people’s mental health. I will not argue here about something that occurred three years ago. I see their point, but I also feel that a few were either narrow-minded or oversimplified the situation.

A public gym can be daunting; the weights area can be very intimidating. Some may feel like they need to be fit before joining a sports club or committing to spending more money on a Personal Trainer.

And even if you decide to go to the gym, we can do much better as a gym culture. The photoshopped gym pics and making it all about looks. The videos of people recording others not knowing what to do on a certain exercise instead of helping them. Some very popular Instagram accounts are based on highlighting these issues, and they are not running out of content any time soon.

As personal trainers, we can only rely on our experience, provide a welcoming environment, build community and set goals for our members to help them focus and feel good in the gym.

One of my main goals in my sessions is to create a community where members of the gym or fitness classes know each other. I’m just as interested in people feeling better going out of the gym than they did going in. That’s it’s much more than the sets and reps of a particular exercise or how much you lift. However, those can help with having purpose and goal setting. And even at that, I know it is not for everyone.

And also that it may not be enough for someone struggling with their mental health. Yes, there are a lot of studies showing the benefits of exercise for mental health. But Personal trainers are NOT experts in the field of mental health.

Telling someone who is really struggling to bang out a few push-ups is not going to solve everything. Trying to get that person to train or walk into the doors of a gym or sports club may not be possible at the time, especially if that person is not active right now. And even if they are active, it does not necessarily address the problem.

It’s something I wrote about in 2019 that I believed in when addressing my own mental health. It’s something I believe more in now.

There are days when I put off training and running, which are a huge part of my life. Even when I have that strong ‘why’ or purpose behind my training, there can be days when I can’t get into the mind frame to train. We all have those days.

Telling someone they need to exercise is not getting to the route of the problem. Training is only a few hours out of a long week.

I have said in the past that running has helped me clear my head and address different issues I have going on so that I can act on them after a run. But, it took me a long time to build up to these 90-plus minute runs where I found it could help me. And just because I feel this approach sometimes works for me, it doesn’t mean it works for everyone.

So yes, exercise is fantastic. More people should exercise. Please don’t misinterpret that message.

But it’s not a starting point for many people and is a very complex issue. Sometimes, you need to ask for help or be a listening ear.

My reason for bringing this up gyms/lockdowns earlier is that I hope it is not the theme we hear from some gym owners this weekend, where the sole answer to mental health is to train.

This Sunday is World Suicide Prevention Day.

Suicide is a major problem in this country. Ireland has the fourth highest teen suicide rate in the EU/OECD according to Well-being of Young People 2017 - UNICEF. It is the biggest killer of young men under 25. “Men and those aged between 35 and 54 are most at risk of taking their own lives”. Unfortunately, we all know people who have taken their own lives.

As fitness coaches, we do not know the answer. And we shouldn’t claim otherwise. But, we can guide people towards experts in this field.

That’s why, for my fitness challenge this Sunday, on World Suicide Prevention Day, I am raising awareness and funds for Jigsaw, the National Centre For Youth Mental Health Limited.

More details on the fundraiser challenge and Jigsaw, (Jigsaw.ie) can be found on my GoFundMe Page: https://www.gofundme.com/f/2000PullUpJigsaw

Why fitness can help but is NOT the solution for Mental Health problems

Sean Coffey